Summary:
Walnut, Mississippi, is served by a single elementary school, Chalybeate Elementary, which enrolls 264 students in grades PK–8 and operates within the North Tippah School District. Despite having only one school in this small city, the data reveals a consistently strong and improving academic environment that outperforms both district and state averages in most subject areas.
Chalybeate Elementary stands out as a high-poverty, high-performing school. Nearly 79% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, yet the school posts better overall proficiency than the state average by roughly 7 percentage points, and it leads its district by 9–12 points. Mathematics and science are particular strengths, with 8th grade science proficiency hitting 79% versus the state’s 57.8%, and 8th grade math reaching 68.4% versus 51.4%. The school also excels in 7th grade math, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 12.2% is less than half the state’s 23.9%, which helps support consistent learning. Over the past three years, Chalybeate has climbed from the 55th to the 63rd–65th percentile in statewide rankings, improving its position from 177th to 139th out of roughly 380 schools.
A few isolated weak spots exist, including 4th grade math (46.4% vs. 51.5% state) and 7th grade English Language Arts (33.3% vs. 36.7%), but these are exceptions rather than patterns. Year-to-year swings in some grade-level scores, like 3rd grade ELA jumping from 35.5% to 66.7%, reflect the small class sizes typical of a 264-student school. Overall, Chalybeate Elementary provides a strong, well-rounded education, particularly in science and middle school math, and its low absenteeism and steady improvement make it a solid choice for families in the Walnut area seeking a school that delivers results despite economic challenges.
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